42,000 Shares in BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. $BJRI Purchased by Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 42,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,282,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.19% of BJ’s Restaurants at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 18.0% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 77.5% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,317 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants during the 2nd quarter valued at $120,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 356.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,492 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 2,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new position in BJ’s Restaurants during the second quarter worth $214,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $41.34 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $873.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.85, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $40.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.22. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.46 and a 12-month high of $47.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.05. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 12.92%. The company had revenue of $330.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.86 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.13) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

BJ’s Restaurants declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $75.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to purchase up to 11.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BJRI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded BJ’s Restaurants from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $39.00 price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total transaction of $317,553.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $174,640.49. This represents a 64.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Restaurants Profile

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc is a publicly traded casual dining chain known for its deep‐dish pizzas, California‐style thin crust offerings and in‐house craft beer selections. Operating under the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse brand, the company combines a microbrewery concept with full‐service dining, offering an extensive menu that includes appetizers, salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches and the signature Pizookie dessert.

Founded in 1978 in Orange County, California, BJ’s Restaurants began as BJ’s Chicago Pizzeria, bringing a Chicago‐style pizza experience to the West Coast.